Charles small wood



N0 MODEL.

y vi l Hl ll aIIIIIIII:nllumlIIWIIIIWIIIWWl PATENTED SEPT. 20, 1904.

C. SMALLWOOD.

BACK BAND BUCKLE.

APPLIUATION FILED rms. 13. 1904.

Patented September 20, 1904.

PATENT Ormea.

CHARLES SMALLVOOD, OF l/VASHINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA.

BACK-BAND BUCKLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 770,397, dated September 20, 1904,

Application filed February 13, 1904. Serial No. 193,460. (No model.)

To MZ whom it may concern:

Be it known. that I, CHARLES SMALLWOOD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Washington, in the county of Beaufort and State of North Carolina, have invented a new and usefnl Back-Band Buckle, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to back-band buckles for harness.

The object of the invention is to improve, simplify, and cheapen the construction of devices of this character and to provide a buckle capable of firmly gripping the back band or strap and retaining the same in adjusted position.

A further object of the invention is to provide a rib or enlargement at the lower wall of the strap-receiving slot, said rib being formed by utilizing the metal cut in forming the slot and bending the same rearwardly at an angle to the general plane of the body portion, so as to cause the pivoted tongue to clamp the band or strap beneath said rib, and thereby prevent accidental displacement of the same.

A still further object is to form the rib or enlargement, in some forms of my device, with a curved or rounded strap-engaging surface to thereby permit ready adjustment of the strap or band, said rib being so disposed as to form a guard or housing for the teeth of the clamping member.

The invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended, it being understood that various changes in form, proportion,and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this invention, Figure 1 is a front elevation 'of a back-band buckle, constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a side elevation illustrating a modiiied form of the invention. Fig. 5

isa transverse sectional view taken on the line 5 5 0f Fig. 4, showing the buckle with the tongue removed. Fig. 6 is a side elevation of an additional modification. Fig. 7 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 7 7 of Fig. 6, also showing the buckle with the tongue removed.` Fig. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view of Fig. 4, showing a modified form of clamping-tongue. Fig. 9 is a similar View of the buckle-frame, illustrating a different manner of forming the rib or enlargement.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the ligures of the drawings.

The buckle frame or base-plate 5.may be formed of metal or other suitable material, being preferably rectangular in contour and provided on its side edges with integral perforated ears or lugs 5', as shown. The frame or base-plate 5 is provided with oppositelylisposed slots or loops 6 and 7 for the reception of the back-band 8, the slot 7 having one wall thereof provided with a transversely-disposed rib or enlargement 9, preferably formed by bending the metal cut from said slot rearwardly and downwardly at an acute angle to the general plane of the base-plate. The rib 9 forms a guard or housing for the pivoted tongue 10, said rib being provided with a downwardly-extending lip 11, adapted to engage the back-band 8, as will be more fully explained hereinafter. The strap-engaging surface of the rib 9 is preferably curved or rounded, as indicated at l2, so as to permit the band 8 to be readily drawn through the slots 6 and 7 in adjusting the former without the liability of cutting or otherwise injuring the same. The tongue 10 is pivoted in openings 13, formed in the ears or lugs 5/, the handle 14 thereof being bent downwardly, as indicated at 15, and serving to retain the trace-chain 16 on the depending hook 17 of thebase-plate. The pivoted tongue 10 is provided with a series of teeth or serrations 18, the inclination of which coincides with the inclination of the rib 9, said teeth being adapted to engage the back-band and securely clamp the same beneath the rib, as clearly shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings. By arranging the rib in the manner described the clamping action of the pivoted tongue will wedge the back-band beneath the same, and thereby electually prevent said band from slipping,` while by having the rib rounded and arranged at an angle to the general plane of the baseplate it forms a guard or housing for the strapengaging teeth and permits the back-band to be readily adjusted by raising or lowering the buckle to a new position on said back-band- In Figs. 4 and 5 I have illustrated a modified form of the invention in which the downwardly-extending lip of the rib 9 is provided with one or more teeth 19, preferably formed therein when stamping or cutting the slot 7, said lip being bent or rolled rearwardly similar to the lip 11 in Fig. 2, so as to cause the teeth to engage the back-band and form an auxiliary securing device.

In Figs. 6 and 7 I have shown a further modification in which the lower edge of the lip is formed in the same manner as the lip 11 in Fig. 2, but instead of being' provided with teeth or serrations, as in Fig. 4, is corrugated, as indicated at 20, corresponding teeth and corrugations 21 and 21 being formed in the Walls of the slot 7 in both the modified forms. In Fig. 9 I have shown a modified form of 4 the invention in which the rib 22 is formed without the downwardly-extending lip 1I. (Shown in Fig. 2.)

In Fig. 8 the construction and relative disposition of the several parts is similar' to that shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the only difference being the angle or inclination of the clamping-tongue. y

Having thus described'the invention, what isY claimed is- 1. In a device of the class described, a buckle-frame provided with strap-receiving openings, a tongue, and a rib having a rearwardly-inclined strap-engaging face forming a guard for said tongue.

2. In a device of the class described, a buckle-frame provided with strap-receiving openings the side wall of one of which is eX- tended to form a strap-engaging rib, said rib being arranged at an angle to the general plane of the frame and provided with a downwardly-extending lip, and a pivoted 'tongue adapted to clamp the strap in engagement with said lip.

3. In a device of the class described, a

buckle-frame provided with strap-receiving openings, atransversely-disposed rearwardlyinclined rib having its upper surface curved or rounded and provided with a depending strap-engaging lip, and a tongue adapted to y face arranged coincident with the rib, saidl rib forming a guard for the strap-engaging face of the tongue.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence oi' two witnesses.

vCHARLES SMALLWOOD. Witnesses:

THos. J. LATHAM, Jr., SETH BRIDGMAN. 

